Attune Foods: read this!

Alright kids, a little self promotion here (No, you don’t have to vote for anything, haha!) Attune Foods put up a really great contest to send someone, with airfaire/hotel paid, to FitBloggin’11 conference. It’s something I would LOVE to do if given the opportunity. And quite frankly, I believe life doesn’t exactly drop opportunities in your lap, you have to go out and fight for them. So I threw my name in the hat. And because I used my blog to type up the (ridiculously long) plea, I figured I’d post it here for you to see. Wish me luck 🙂

Plead my case. What is my case? Your guess is as good as mine. I often ask myself the same thing, when I’m 18+ miles into a run, my legs and lungs screaming, and I’m wondering what the heck it is I love so much about voluntarily torturing myself. I have a t-shirt I jokingly wear that says “running is a mental sport, and we are all insane”. The funny part is, a big part of me believes it’s far from a joke. I can’t tell you why I am compelled to be so active, I just know, as crazy as it sounds, I can not live without exercise. And quite frankly, I think it’s an utter shame more people haven’t experienced this “craziness”.

This insanity sent me back to school, after one pregnancy, and through another, just to torture me in another mind numbing endurance battle of another type. 4.5 long years of studying for a bachelors degree in Exercise and Sport Science, through morning sickness, sleepless nights, teething babies, terrible two temper tantrums, and now refereeing preschool wrestling matches over toy trains while I try to finish up my senior projects. Pulling all-nighters because I couldn’t have one second of silence to write a paper until everyone else was in bed. Handing in homework covered in crayon marks. Ridiculously tight budgeting on only one income, and sacrificing time with my husband because he watches the kids during the day, then works at night just to support my dream. Parental, emotional, financial, and relationship sacrifices, all for a degree in a field where I will likely start off barely, if at all, clearing minimum wage.

So, why bother? Because I am absolutely convinced that physical fitness can change this world, and that my purpose on this earth is to prove that to people. Because I think it would be a shame to not try and share the amazing benefits I get from exercise with every single person I cross paths with. Be it one person or one million. I want to change lives.

I could sit here and list the ways fitness has changed my life, the same story of increased self esteem, confidence, coping skills, making me a better mother, wife, student, etc. But chances are, everyone reading this already knows all of this, has experienced it all first hand. All of us in the fitness-blogging world get it. We know, and even more so FEEL the benefits of a fit lifestyle.

You know who DOESN’T know that feeling? The 35(+) % of our country’s citizens who tip the scales into the obese category. The 48% who willingly admit they don’t even come close to meeting recommended physical activity levels. The tens of millions of obese CHILDREN who are shockingly NOT EXPECTED to outlive their parents, due to obesity-related conditions. The teen girls who need to know their self worth is not determined by the size of their jeans. The moms who need to know that their health and well being ARE worth it.

While the convenience of the internet allows us to easily network with others in the fitness/sporting industry across the country, it may be easy to assume more and more people are becoming active. But the truth is, we are in the middle of a nationwide obesity and inactivity epidemic. And we as bloggers MUST help fight this

In two weeks, I’ll walk at my college graduation. I’ll start my 350 hour internship at a local rec center/gym, and in August, I will have that degree. Winning a ticket to FitBloggin11 will not only be the GREATEST graduation present I could imagine, but an opportunity I could never afford on my own to broaden my horizons, knowledge, and social networking connections to further my life mission and get my message out to even more people.

Thank you for reading my incredibly long comment (it’s hard to shut me up once I’m on my fitness soap box!) and thank you for considering me for this really kick butt giveaway!

Comments

Congrats on graduation!! What field are you interning in? My PE degree is in the education side, and I taught for 2 years at St. James Middle, but we left to come back to Virginia. I want to get certified as a trainer but I also would love to teach elementary again as well. I hope you win and that your internship leads to big things!!

I am a recent follower of your blog but I just feel I wanted to let you know how inspiring you are. As a mother of 3 I feel like I can relate on many levels. Your writing is spot on with how life goes sometimes. I feel the same way about exercise… I love it, so I want to share it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. -Aubrey

Subscribe

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

E-Mail Address

Archives

Archives

Categories

Categories

Meet Heather

I'm Heather, mom of two, ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, and an overzealous athlete who cannot focus on a single discipline, so I train for all of them at the same time. When in doubt, I run...and then write about it. Read More…

Recent Posts

"As most of you know, if left to my own devices, I'll quit when no one is looking, then saunter back to the tent, sit down, and tell you I've quit, after my timing chip has already been handed in. Don't turn your back on me, I'm not … [Read More...]

Hey non runners! This post is for you. Do you wish that could be one of those people effortlessly gliding down the streets or across the trails? Do you want to cross a 5K finish line, or hell let's dream big, maybe earn a 100 mile buckle? But the idea of running to the mailbox currently has you … [Read More...]

Want to become a faster, stronger runner? Then you absolutely HAVE to do more than simply run all of the time. Cross training, speedwork, and strength training are imperative in ensuring you are the best runner you can be. One of my favorite types of workouts to incorporate into my training … [Read More...]